Gears of War, what else is there to say.
The game has been in the works for a while, and trust me, it was worth the time
being spent there. The hype matched this game, not overhyped or underhyped. The
story, simple but complex. In a basic summation, the Locust Horde has risen
from underground from as the nations of Sera wage war over an energy source
called immulsion(sound familiar?). Sera suffers massive casualties on emergence
day, the day the Horde emerged from underneath the planet. A sort of modern day
Vietnam war wages, with no clear lines drawn and the chance of death around
every corner awaits you. The COG's, the force fighting the Horde, is taking a
beating and hope is almost lost. That's when you come in...
The gameplay is innovative. Cover isn't a good idea, it's a necessary. Don't
plan on lasting long on the harder difficulties, or on multiplayer if you
refuse to. This isn't an Unreal Tournament, this is war and damage will occur.
Under your command is a squad of 4, including yourself, Delta Squad. You and
your squad go headfirst into some of the most horde infested areas and do so
with a smile. Action never reaches a dull point, as the horde keep coming for
you. Gears does a great job of keeping the action at a good pace. It never
swarms you to the point of being absolutely unbearable, but there will be
points where you will be begging for that to be the last kill in that swarm.
Some moments will be frustrating, as the Horde will trap you in and kill you.
Leading to the AI. The AI of the Horde excellent. Strategies are definitely
evident in the Horde, as the shift accordingly and create crossfires, pinning
you down and making you work for victory. Occasionally the Horde will make a
move that will make your head tilt in confusion, but the rest are very well
defined. Delta squad is on par with the Horde until later in the game. At some
point between the 3rd and 4th chapter, they replace Delta squad with some fresh
recruit AI. They make moves that they didn't before, becoming overly aggresive,
leading to them dying and you risking your own skin to save them, as they are
somewhat vital to your victory. Delta helps take fire off of you and allows you
to place shots that will guarantee a kill. The graphics set the bar high for
future action, no future games on the 360. The level of detail on each level is
simply astounding. The "destroyed beauty" element of the game adds another
dimension to the game. You get the eerie feeling of despair as the statues and
buildings crumble around you from this once great civilization. One part of the
game that particularly pleased me was the gun animations. The discharge from
the guns are able to be seen, the smoke and fire coming from the barrel add
a "wow" factor, as something like this could have been easily overlooked and
tossed to the side. Your equipment is highly detailed, along with the uniforms
of the horde. The sound is fantastic. The guns sound fantastic. The range of
sound and the volume emits is another fantastic plus as a shot right next to
you will let you know how close you were to taking one to the face. The sound
of the ground giving in and the Horde emerging sounds great, and the crashing
of buildings and the like are another addition to a great sounding game. The
music that plays in game is probably one of the best, if not the best for an
non-licensed soundtrack. Yes, you can play your own music, but you would be
missing out. I found that the game when not played with the music wasn't the
same.
The multiplayer keeps you coming back as so many gamerpoints are added by
playing. Not a single time are you not making a contribution to an achievement.
The game modes are very simple, but the real fun comes in a elimination style
game as fierce matches can break out, coming down to the end. The single player
can keep you coming back as COG Tags need to be found, giving you another
achievement . I found myself playing through this game almost 3 times, and each
time having fun and not losing the fun. Yes, the story could've been explained
more, but the way things develop leaves an even better possibility for a
sequel, which is now a reality. The game could've been longer, but so much
action can only go for so long without becoming repetitive and boring. Epic did
a good job of ending the story and then you saying, I want to play more, and
you either going back and playing on Insane difficulty(as it is unlocked after
being it once) or playing online. I can complain about this game, but it just
isnt worth it. Gears of War is a huge milestone for the 360 and videogaming
alone. Gears of War could become an even bigger phenomenon as if done
correctly, a movie, graphic novels and whatnot could be released, much to the
cry of many Gears fans. Gears is simply the best game out on the 360, and if
you own a 360 and don't own this game, drop the controller and buy it. Now.